This year's 18xx event will allow play in 1830, 1856, 1861,
and 1870, as well as 1880, 1846, and 18EU
(as voted in by email). The 18xx event will be held on Saturday
and Sunday of the pre-convention weekend. There will be four
preliminary rounds (three on Saturday, one on Sunday), with a
semi-final and a Final round on Sunday. All games can be played
in any prelim, but it is suggested that shorter games be played
during the Sunday prelim, and longer games during the last Saturday
prelim. Emphasis will be placed on making all games 4-player
whenever possible, as this will be the format for the semi-final
and Final. [For example, if 23 players appear for a round, with
nine players for 1856 and 14 for 1830, the games
will be apportioned as follows: 1856: a 4- and a 5-player
game; 1830: a 4-player and two 5-player games. If eight
of those 23 players want to play 1856, the division becomes
1856: two 4-player games; 1830: three 4-player
and a 3-player game.] Players will be placed in games at random,
except that players that have met in previous rounds will be
moved where possible.

The top seeded winners, plus alternates, of all preliminary
rounds will advance to the 16-player semi-finals Sunday afternoon.
If there are fewer than 16 preliminary round winners, enough
runner-ups (seeded by the MESE criteria given below) will advance
to make 16 semi-finalists. If there are more than 16 winners
that attend the semis, one or more semis will be expanded to
include them. Semi-finalists will be seeded by the MESE criteria
and placed in the four semi-final games according to 1st-8th-9th-16th,
2nd-7th-10th-15th, 3rd-6th-11th-14th, and 4th-5th-12th-13th.
Players in each semi-final game will vote on which game to play,
by secret ballot. Any game is eligible for voting. Once a game
receives a majority of votes from the semi participants, it will
become the designated option for that game. If the players cannot
agree to play that game, they will play the default game of 1830
(classic). Voting among the finalists for the final game will
be conducted in the same way. The winners of the four semi-final
games will advance to a four-player final Sunday night. If necessary,
semi-finalist runners-up can move up (again, seeded by percentage
of the winning total), to ensure a 4-player Final.

The WBC Multiple Entry-Single Elimination (MESE) seeding criteria
are: 1) Most wins; 2) Win in first heat entered; 3) Win in second
heat entered; 4) Win in third heat entered; 5) Win in fourth
heat entered; 6) percentage of winning score; 7) average finish
in all heats entered; 8) high dice roll. For all ties, criteria
will be checked in order.

Optional rules in force for each game will be announced by
email to all who inquire, and before the start of each round.
The time limit for the first three preliminary rounds, the semi-final,
and the Final round is 5 hours, with more time available in the
last session Saturday night. No stock round will begin within
30 minutes of the round conclusion. In the last 15 minutes of
a round, only route running, revenue collection, and train purchases
may be conducted (tile placement, tile upgrade, or token placement
will not be permitted). Unless there is a player bankruptcy,
rounds conclude at the end of that series of operating rounds.